History: These mouth watering caramels were passed down from
my great-great aunt who passed it down to my Grandma B (my father’s side). She
gave it to my mother and my mother passed it to me. It is a wonderful recipe
that is both simple and very rich. It can be cooked to be soft or extremely
chewy. Frequently it is made around Christmas time, as that is when my mother
makes many different sweets in huge batches so she can send it to relatives.

Recipe:

2 cup white sugar

1 cup heavy whipping
cream (it also works with whipping cream)

1 cup milk (whole
or 2%)

1 cup light corn
syrup

¼ tsp salt (my
mother usually puts in much less)

Cook in a heavy pot: bring to a boil.

Cook to hardball stage. Add ¼ cup butter, then add ½ - 1 tsp vanilla.

Pour into a buttered 9” pan. Cool before cutting and
wrapping in wax paper.

Additional Info:

The hardball stage, or way to test the caramel is to take a
small glass, fill it with ice water, then put in a few drops of caramel
straight from the pot. The way it falls to rest on the bottom can determine how
cooked it is. If it flattens out or falls as a string instead of droplets, it
is too soft. If it falls, but stays in a round ball, it is ready.

Soft string = soft at room temperature.

When it is almost ready it is a foamy darker brown.

History: My mother makes fudge frequently for our family,
but when she was a child her parents only made it at Christmas time. Several
people in her family have the recipe, and she continues to make it every
Christmas, though she makes it other time of the year too. The recipe itself
came from a newspaper. The author had asked for the recipe from See’s and after
receiving was unexpectedly sent a large bill. Upset over the deal, the person
published it in the newspaper so that no one would be charged for the recipe
again.

She has changed it from marshmallow crème to small
marshmallows, which she purposely leaves half-melted, half uncooked. She also
stopped putting walnuts in and skips the salt too.

History: My Grandma Jan lived next to a Mexican lady who
shared the recipe for making flour tortillas with her. My mother learned in
from my Grandma Jan, and had to record the recipe and my Grandma Jan always
made it from memory. When I was a child, these tortillas were one of my
favorite things, and I loved to help roll the dough into tortillas. My mom
would watch over me and be cooking the one I had already rolled, while I
struggled with the rolling pin to try and get them into shape.

Recipe:

2 cup flour

Dash salt

½ - ¾ tspn baking
powder

6 - 8 tbspn warm water

Mix the salt and the warm water. Mix baking powder and
flour. Add flour mixture to water until it is a thin dough. Mix well. Continue
to add flour in small amounts until sticky dough consistency. Form into a large ball.

Rub over w/ cooking
oil.

Let sit covered in warm place 1 to 2 hrs.

~~~~~~~~

Form into small balls (eg the size of a ball from the game
of jacks)

Roll out flat on floured surface

Cook on open flame, turning constantly or in hot greaseless
pan (until bubbles, few brown spots)

Makes 15 - 20 tortillas

History: A really simple recipe that I eat very frequently
still today is adding macaroni to tomato soup. My mom called it s’ghetti
(sketty) soup, and remembers eating it with her brothers. It is a meal that my
mother’s family has eaten since my Grandma Jan was a child. Both my Grandpa
Mike and my father do not like it, though my mother, my grandmother, and I love
it.